Gov. Stitt Vetoes MMIP Bill
Gov. Kevin Stitt has vetoed a bill bolstering law enforcement efforts to locate Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. The measure was intended to support investigative agencies.
As people gathered at the Capitol to remember loved ones for MMIP awareness day, Stitt vetoed House Bill 1137.
Authored by Choctaw Freedmen Ronald Stewart, the bill tweaked Ida’s Law to allow the state to fund the resource-limited tribal liaison office through OSBI.
The measure received nearly unanimous support from the legislature.
Tribal leaders, such as Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., said Stitt’s action showed his ignorance.
Currently, Oklahoma ranks second in the nation for missing Indigenous people.
Gov. Stitt Signs Statewide Ban on Student Cellphone Use in Public Schools
Gov. Stitt has signed into law a year-long ban on student cellphone use in all Oklahoma public schools.
Nonprofit news outlet Oklahoma Voice reports Oklahoma will join 11 other states that have implemented similar statewide restrictions.
Senate Bill 139 requires schools to implement the phone ban for the 2025-26 school year. After that, the restriction is optional.
A National Education Association survey found that 90% of teacher union members said they support cellphone restrictions during class time, and 83% favored prohibiting cellphone and personal device usage for the entire school day.
Natural Gas Bill Heads to Stitt, Despite OCC Warnings of Higher Consumer Costs
A bill intended to prioritize new or expanded natural gas facilities in Oklahoma is on its way to Gov. Stitt’s desk.
Despite pushback from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Senate Bill 998 passed through both legislative chambers.
Senators Todd Gollihare and Grant Green authored the legislation and Representative Trey Caldwell served as the principal House author.
The bill would allow companies to recover construction costs from consumers before new or expanded natural gas facilities are in operation. It would also direct the OCC to give the companies special recovery rates.
The OCC says the bill will result in higher costs for consumers and erode its authority. It sent a memo to legislators on Monday urging them to vote no.
Caldwell says the legislation would help meet growing energy demands. The bill passed the House 51 to 39.
University of Tulsa President Announces Departure
The University of Tulsa’s President is stepping down from his role at the school.
Brad Carson has been the school's president since 2021 after serving as a U-S Congressman for Oklahoma and in the U-S Department of Defense under then-President Barack Obama.
In a social media post, Carson wrote he would leave at the end of May to take on a leadership role at a pair of Artificial Intelligence organizations in Washington D.C.
TU's governing board is expected to name an interim replacement in the coming weeks.
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